As B.C. recorded 1,711 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, Premier John Horgan said it is unlikely the province will be moving into stage 4 of the B.C. Restart Plan come September. “The Delta variant and an increase in cases, largely within the unvaccinated population, has led us to pause and reflect on what steps, what measures, we can take through public health and through other initiatives to protect British Columbians,” Premier John Horgan said. The number of new infections decreased over each of the past three days, with 724 cases recorded on Saturday, 545 on Sunday, and 442 on Monday. Interior Health recorded the most new cases, with 768. Fraser Health has 419 new cases, and Vancouver Coastal Health recorded 290 new cases. On Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province continues to see waves of cases in people who are not yet vaccinated. Henry said unvaccinated people are 10 times more at risk of contracting COVID-19, than vaccinated people. Henry made clear that those who vaccinated are less likely to be infected, infected for a shorter time if you do contract the virus, and much less likely to have a severe illness that requires hospitalization
At least one business group is praising the B-C government for bringing in a proof of COVID-19 vaccination card to access certain businesses and events — but says Canada needs a coordinated national approach. The Surrey Board of Trade says a B-C vaccine card is necessary in the short term to increase vaccination rates and ensure the safety of customers and workers. But C-E-O Anita Huberman says Canada needs a centralized proof of vaccination system that could be easily used for both domestic and international purposes. Huberman says without inter-provincial harmonization, Canada risks a piecemeal approach that would make life more difficult and unpredictable for people and employers during an already uncertain time.
The manager of fire operations for the B-C Wildfire Service says crews are making “excellent progress” on some larger blazes thanks to cooler temperatures. Todd Nessman says the number of fires that pose threats to public safety and property has dropped to two dozen from more than 30 earlier this month. He says new fire starts have also fallen to an average of about four to six a day over the last week, down from many more that were sparking daily in July. He says there are still areas that haven’t seen significant rain, including the Cariboo and south Okanagan, and the fire service is keeping a close watch until rain arrives to address underlying drought in many areas of the province.
A group representing retailers says it’s worried about impacts on staff as B-C reintroduces mandatory masks in all indoor public spaces starting tomorrow. The decision comes a day after the province announced a vaccine card will be required starting next month for many indoor activities such as restaurant dining. Greg Wilson of the Retail Council of Canada says store owners don’t want staff facing arguments with customers about masks or their vaccination status. Wilson says the council believes B-C is transferring the responsibility to businesses when it could impose mandatory vaccinations as COVID-19 cases rise.
Masks are once again required in all indoor public spaces and schools in B-C to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says people 12 and older will need to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. She says some of the places masks will be required include malls, coffee shops, airports, city halls, libraries, community and recreation centres, and on public transportation. Henry says about 75 per cent of B-C residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but that number needs to be higher as the Delta variant drives up case counts.
B-C officials say masks will be required by students in Grade 4 and up at the start of the school year. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the order will be reassessed in mid-October when the province fully implements a card showing proof of immunization in order to enter sports and other events. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says vaccines have made it possible for students to look forward to the resumption of safe in-person, full-time learning and extracurricular activities. She encouraged eligible students to get vaccinated, saying only 57 per cent of youth between 12 and 17 are fully immunized.
The B-C Wildfire Service says crews fighting fires in B-C are being helped by cooler and unseasonably low temperatures. The service says most fires of note _ including White Rock Lake at about 810 square kilometres and Lytton Creek at 845 square kilometres _ have not seen much growth. It says crews are seeing between three and five fires starts each day compared with about 40 in July. B-C has had more than 15-hundred wildfires since the start of the season and there are about 250 still burning in B-C.